Wrench having removable and nestable sockets



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 4, 1956 s. l. N. HALL WRENCH HAVING REMOVABLE ANDNESTABLE SOCKETS Filed Jan. 24, 1955 Sept. 1956 s. l. N. HALL 2,761,342

WRENCH HAVING REMOVABLE AND NESTABLE SOCKETS Filed Jan. 24, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I r 1 com United States Patent WRENCH HAVING REMOVABLEAND NESTABLE SOCKETS Sven Ivar Natanael Hall, Norrahammar, SwedenApplication January 24, 1955, Serial No. 483,638

Claims priority, application Sweden January 25, 1954 4 Claims. (Cl.81121) This invention relates to wrenches and is particularly adapted towrenches having a swing handle.

In the use of wrenches, particularly those with swing handles, it hasheretofore been necessary to provide a series of wrenches each havingditferent sizes and types for use with different screw nuts or the like.Obviously, this is expensive and cumbersome, particularly if thewrenches are to be transported in a kit.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide awrench, particularly of the swing handle type, adapted for cooperationwith a removable part for engaging over a screw nut or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrench which isinexpensive to produce and which occupies little space when folded up.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become morefully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, thesame consists in the novel features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing and defined in the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wrench according to one embodiment ofthe invention;

Figure 2 is a section along the line 22 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 33 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the wrench with a smaller sleeve socketand a smaller bolt head than that in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section along the line 55 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a section along the line 6-5 in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of a number of sleeve sockets usable withthe wrench and nested one inside the other.

Figure 8 is a section along the line 8-8 in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the wrench head and shows modified meansfor attaching sleeve sockets thereto, and

Figure 10 is a section along the line 1010 in Figure 9.

In Figures 1 to 3 of the drawing, numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical wrenchhead, on which a swing handle 3 is mounted by means of an intermediatepiece 2, so as to be rockable by means of a rivet 4. On that side of thewrench head 1 opposite the handle, three sector-shaped projections 5 areprovided and engage in three corresponding recesses 6 in a sleeve socket7. The sleeve socket 7, which is a length of a hexagonal profiled tube,engages over a bolt head 8. Numeral 9 denotes a spring, which isintroduced by one end into one of the projections 5 and is secured thereby means of a screw 10. The free end of the spring 9 lies partly in aradially extending and relatively deep groove 11 in a sidewall ofanother projection 5 of the wrench head 1. A semicylindrical groove 12corresponding in location to the groove 11 and also to the diameter ofthe spring 9 is provided in a side wall of one of the recesses 6 of thesleeve socket 7, so that when the wrench head 1 and the sleeve socket 7are being coupled the spring 9, after being pushed into its groove 11 byrelative sliding movement of the adjacent grooved side wall of therecess 6, snaps into the groove 12 so as to hold the sleeve socket 7 onthe wrench head 1.

Figures 4 to 6 show the same wrench head 1 connected to a sleeve socket133, which is smaller than the sleeve socket 7 shown in Figures 1 to 3.The sleeve socket 13 engages over a bolt head 15. In this example thesame projections 5 of the wrench head also engage in recesses 14 in thesmaller sleeve socket 13, one of the side walls of the recess also beingprovided with a groove 12' similar to the groove 12 in the larger socket7. The same spring 9 snaps into the groove 12' to hold the socket 13 onthe wrench head 1.

Figures 7 and 8 show a number of sleeve sockets of diiferent sizes,which are loosely pushed one inside the other and which can be coupledseparately or together to the wrench head 1. All the sockets are usablewith the same wrench head 1 and thus all have recesse nd groovescomplementary to the projections 5 and to the spring 9, respectively.Numeral 7 denotes the sleeve socket illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 withits recesses 6 and numeral 13 denotes the sleeve socket shown in Figures4 to 6 with its recesses 14.

Instead of a spring, use may also be made of a permanent magnet for thepurpose of attaching the sleeve sockets to the wrench head, as shown inFigure 9. Numeral 1' indicates the wrench head and numeral 3 the handleof the wrench. Numeral 5 denotes each of three sector-shaped projectionsof the wrench head 1'. 16 is a permanent bar magnet, which is insertedin groove 17 in the walls of two sector-shaped projections 5'. Since thesleeve sockets are made from profiled tubes, a strong magneticattraction between the sleeve sockets and the permanent magnet 16 andhence to the wrench head 1 is ensured.

Manipulation of the wrench is clear from the drawing. If the wrench isnot in use, the entire set of sockets shown in Figures 7 and 8, can beattached to the wrench head 1 so as to provide a compact assembly.

For a hexagonal sleeve socket it is advantageous for the wrench head tohave three sector-shaped projections, such as those illustrated in thedrawing.

The wrench according to the invention is capable, as a result of therelatively large number of different size sockets which can be coupledto one and the same head of being used for loosening or tightening acorrespond ingly large number of screw nuts. The wrench head and thesockets are simple and inexpensive to produce, since suitable metal rodsand profiled tubes can be cut to the desired length, projections orrecesses than being milled in one end of each of the pieces.

What I claim is:

l. A wrench having a head which is attachable at one face to a handleand which can be coupled at an opposite face to a sleeve socket which isto be engaged over a screw nut or the like, wherein the wrench head isprovided on said opposite face with a number of sectorshapedprojections, and wherein the sleeve socket is in the form of a tubehaving an interior cross section that corresponds to exterior dimensionsof a screw nut or the like which is to be turned, one end of the sleevesocket having circumferentially spaced recesses corresponding in numberand location to said sector-shaped projections of the wrench head, eachof said recesses having longitudinal side wall surfaces lying parallelto side wall surfaces of its associated sector-shaped projection so thatsaid recesses embrace corresponding portions of said sector-shapedprojections, whereby sleeve sockets having different size cross sectionscan be coupled to one and the same Wrench head.

2. A wrench as claimed in claim 1, wherein a permanent magnet is mountedon side walls of two of the sector-shaped projections, for the purposeof attaching the sleeve sockets to the wrench head 3. A wrench asclaimed in claim 1, wherein a cylindrical spring has one end mounted inone of the projections of the wrench head and has a free end portionlying partly in a relatively deep groove in the side wall of anotherprojection of the wrench head, whereby the sleeve socket may be attachedto the wrench head.

4. A wrench as claimed in claim 3, wherein that recess side wall whichconfronts said relatively deep groove is provided with a semicylindricalgroove corresponding in diameter to the diameter of the spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,502,587 Phipps Apr. 4, 1950 2,708,855 Fish May 24, 1955 FOREIGNPATENTS 267,686 Germany Nov. '26, 1913

